I think Monk has done a decent job but im still not sure 100% on the appointment. What i have always said is that Monk will always give 110% and we know everything he will do will be with the best of intentions, for that reason alone i think we are in good hands in terms of survival.
Monk has also been backed 110% by the board, something which was slightly open to debate with the last manager, the signing of Siggy has been the main factor in us having a good start to the season and without him Fabianski and Bony we would be quite run of the mill.
Our football in terms of maintaining posession has gone backwards but our quality in attack has been able to mask this, we don't out pass teams anymore and we don't use the ball to wear down the opposition either, there is a certain Irony with the comment made by Jenkins about our footballing identity being eroded thats for sure.
Having said all that i have been impressed with our application and togetherness even when not playing great football we have been dogged enough to get on our game and get results, one of the biggest question marks for me was if the players would be behind monk and its clear to see they play for the manager, this is half the battle IMO.
Monk has alot to learn but i feel he is doing that so i can't fault him, he will make mistakes and sometimes we will suffer because of it but overall i think he has done a very good job.
The big test will be when we lose a few games or get key injuries. We are struggling with full backs and a top notch defensive midfielder, issues that i felt should have been addressed in the summer.
We have the most expensive squad in our History, with some truely world class performers in the team, to maintain prem survival should be a minimum requirement ,especially when you consider the following players signed to help make Monks job easier.
Barrow
Gomis
Siggy
Montero
Fredirco
Fabianski
When you add those names to the likes of Dyer,Routs,Shelvey,Williams, Ki and Bony its perfectly acceptable to expect us to be a top 10 team and to go anywhere and on our day get a result.
Its a bloody difficult thing to assess for me.
Any manager should be getting those players into a decent prem position but we all know that the prem league doesn't always work out that way .
Major plus points for Monk has been his backing of Bartley,Ki and to a lesser extent Barrow. Both Ki and Bartley i could have done with or without but they have turned into good assets especially Ki who for me is my player of the season .
Monk is doing a solid job but i feel we will know the real level of progress after Xmas. I hope like in Rodgers first season,we stay clear of key injuries.